Wrest-plate for stringed musical instruments.



No. 745,350. w PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903.

H. HORNBECK. WREST PLATE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. 1903.

no MODEL. 2

- INVENTOH ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES Patented December 1, 1903.

HENRY HORNBECK, OE ELIZABETH, NEWV JERSEY.

WREST-PLATE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,350, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed April '7, 1903. Serial No. 151,452. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LHENRYHORNBEOK, a citizen of the United States,residing atEliz-abeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersoy, have invented certain new and useful Irnprovements in Wrest-Plates for Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved wrest-plate for pianos and other musical instruments of this class and improved means for holding the wrest-pins in place, so as to prevent the turning thereof when the wires are connected therewith, and in this manner to prevent or avoid the frequent tuning of the instrument.

The invent-ion is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of myimprovement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a face view of a wrest-plate made according to myinvention; Fig. 2, a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a partial back View of the wrest-plate, and Fig. i a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention I provide a metal wrest-plate a, which is provided with a longitudinal slot or opening a which opens outwardly at one end thereof, and said end of said plate is provided with a raised transverse member a and the slot or opening a is closed by a transverse plate 64 secured thereto by bolts, screws, or other devices a, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Within the slot a are placed rectangular wrest-pin blocks 1), which project above and below the plate a and which are provided at their upper and lower ends with flanges b and said blocks are free to move longitudinally in the slot a but cannot be removed therefrom except through the open end thereof beneath the transverse raised member a and formed in the base of the transverse raised member a directly over the slot a is an oblong opening 04 which permits of the removal of the blocks b.

The blocks 1) are provided in their adjacent surfaces with recesses 12 which are semicircular in cross-section and which are partially closed at their lower ends when said blocks are pressed together, as shown at b, and these semicircular recesses in the adjacent surfaces of the blocks 1) form complete receptacles for the wrest-pins c, which are set thereinto, as shown in the drawings, and passed through the plate a is a screw (Z, by means of which the blocks 1) may be securely clamped together, so as to hold the wrest-pins o in place.

The wires (2 are secured in practice to the wrest-pins c in the usual manner, and these wrest-pins are provided with angular heads 0 by means of which they may be turned by the usual key, and the screw cl is also provided with an angular head 01 for a similar purpose.

By means of this construction the wrestpins 0 are held in such a manner that they are not aifected by changes in temperature, and there can be no expansion or contraction of the wrest-plate and the blocks 1) suflicient to affect the security of the said pins, and all of the pins in one row may be tightened or secured by turning the single screw 61. The wrest-plate 0t is also provided across the end thereof opposite the raised transverse portion a with another raised transverse portion f, and in the accompanying drawings I have shown two of the slots of in said plate, and it will be understood that any desired number of these slots may be provided and that the wrest-pins 0 may be secured therein, as herein shown and described, and my invention is not limited to the form of the wrest-plate herein shown and described, and various modifications therein may be made, all that is necessary being to provide a wrest-plate having a slot or slots a and the metal blocks 5, having recesses in their adjacent surfaces adapted to receive the wrest pins 0, and means for clamping said blocks together.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. A wrest-plate provided with a longitudinal slot, metal wrest pin blocks slidably mounted in said slot and provided in their adjacent surfaces with recesses adapted to receive wrest-pins, and means for clamping said blocks together, substantially as shown and described.

2. A wrest-plate provided with a longitudinal slot which opens at one end, metal wrestpin blocks placed in said slot and longitudinally movable therein and provided in their adjacent surfaces with recesses adapted to receive wrest-pins, a plate secured across the open end of said slot and a screw passed through said plate and adapted to bear on the adjacent wrest-pin block, substantially as shown and described.

3. A wrest-plate provided With a longitudinal slot which opens outwardly at one end thereof, a removable plate secured across the open end of said slot, a plurality of wrestpin blocks mounted in and longitudinally movable in said slot, and means for clamping said blocks together, said blocks being also provided in their adjacent surfaces with recesses adapted to receive wrest pins, and wrest-pins mounted in said recesses, substantially as shown and described.

4. A wrest-plate provided with a longitudinal slot, wrest-pin blocks slidably mounted in said slot, wrest-pins placed between said blocks, and means for clamping said blocks together so as to hold said pins, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, as myinvention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 6th day of April, 1903.

HENRY HORNBEOK.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, J. O. LARSEN. 

